Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri: Edited with Notes and Biographical SketchDenig, Edwin Thompson
History
Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri: Edited with Notes and Biographical Sketch
Denig, Edwin Thompson
Assiniboine Indians; Indians of North America -- Missouri River Valley
Their drums are of two kinds. The most common is made like a tambourine
without its bells, the skin forming the head being stretched over the
hoop while wet and kept there by sinews being passed through it and the
hoop a few inches apart. (Pl. 80, fig. 1.) The inside portions of the
skin have cords made of sinew extending across from several places,
meeting in the middle and forming a handle to hold it up by (2). It is
held up in one hand and beaten with a stick by the other, no more beats
being made than are necessary to correspond with the accents of the
notes, thus preserving the time.
The other kind of drum is made of a piece of hollow dry tree about
2½ feet long, scraped to a shell and smooth inside and out,
resembling in shape a staff churn (3). The head or skin is stretched on
the smaller end with a hoop, which is retained in its place by sinews
passed through. The other is left open. When beaten but one stick is
used, the drum being set on end. Both are often painted with different
devices. The rattles, wag-ga-mó (Sioux) or Chi-chi-quoin (Cree), were
originally and in a measure still are gourds dried with the seeds in,
or after being dried the seeds, etc., are taken out and pebbles put
in (4). Others are made of the rawhide of elk stretched over a slight
frame of woodwork while wet and dried in that shape, pebbles being put
therein at holes left in the top or in the handle (5 and 6). No. 7 is
the rattle used by the “braves” in their dance. It is made of rawhide
like the rest, but in the form of an open ring.
No. 8 is the rattle made out of deer and antelope hoofs scraped
thin and light, reduced in size, and a number of each attached to
small strings, so closely that they clash together when shaken. The
flute (9) is made of wood, and the whistle (10) is the wing bone of
a swan. These have before been described. From what has preceded it
will be understood that there are no verses in their songs evincing
their patriotism, or other chants representing their triumphs; that
all is chorus and tune. Their laments for the dead are of the same
description, adding a few words and calling upon the departed by
stating the degree of relationship, the few mournful words to deplore
their loss, and the rest of the chant is in meaningless ejaculations.
Their music is never recorded nor have they such things as music boards
or bark songs. In their bacchanalian songs they often repeat catches
of whatever comes into their minds at the time, adapting the words
to the song, but these words or any particular expressions do not
properly belong to the songs, which in their original are of the same
description as the others.
Many lullabies are sung to children by their mothers, but as usual
but few words introduced, consisting mostly of humming of different
tunes to put them to sleep, adding sometimes, “Sleep, sleep, my pretty
child,” or “Red fox come here; you will get a marrow bone to eat”—this
when they are 2 or 3 years old.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account